I'm in Love With My Childhood Friend
by Rose Duchess
Summary: A series of one-shots for ShikaIno Week 2016.
1. First Meeting

**Here is my first one-shot for ShikaIno week on tumblr. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **First Meeting**

His mother had told him for a few days already that his father's friend is coming over for a visit and that he was to play with that friend's daughter.

Shikamaru thought as he pouted, _"There is no way that I'm playing with a girl; they're troublesome."_

But inevitably, he had to listen to his mother; otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand listening to a long lecture about him being polite to girls. He didn't even know how to interact with a girl his own age. He was six years old, but he had acted more like an old man; he loved to just laze about and liked games and puzzles that older men would play. The only time he tried to act like his own age was when he was playing with Chouji whom he befriended because the other kids wouldn't let him play ninja with them. They hit it off pretty well because Chouji was a kind, humble little boy but often lacks self-confidence.

He doesn't know whether or not if he will even be able to tolerate this girl; whoever she is. So now he is in his room, lying on his bed, dreading this little "playdate" as his mother had called it.

He heard his mother call him, "Shikamaru, come down, they're here."

He sighed in exasperation and then he slowly got up from his bed and then sluggishly walked down the hall and into the living room where his parents were waiting with a man with long, blond hair tied in a ponytail and a small child standing behind him. He couldn't tell what she looked like and he somehow thought it was weird. He came closer and stood next to his parents, and then curiously tried to peek at the girl even though he claimed to dread to meet this girl.

Shikaku knelt down beside him and told him, "Shikamaru, this is my best friend and teammate, Inoichi Yamanaka, say hello."

He directed his attention to the tall man in front of him and then he did what his mother always told him to do, be respectful to any adult he meets, "Hello, Yamanaka-san, it's nice to meet you," he says before bowing.

The man before him chuckled, "He might even be a bit more polite than you were when we first met Shikaku."

Shikaku chuckled, knowing that his son is every bit like himself; it was just that his mother is watching him like a hawk, that he has to be polite. Inoichi knelt down to Shikamaru's level and then replied, "Hello, Shikamaru, you've gotten big since I last saw you. Of course, you were a baby when I first met you."

Then he turned his head slightly towards the little girl behind him and then said to her, "Go ahead and say hello."

The little girl slowly moved from behind her father and came into Shikamaru's full view and he was slightly surprised. He saw that the little girl had short blonde hair with a red hair clip near her left temple. She was wearing a pink dress with a purple skirt over it and boot–like sandals. But what stuck out most to him were her eyes; eyes that were as blue as the sky that he liked to look at when cloud-watching. Admittingly, he thought she was cute.

She spoke while smiling, "Hello, I'm Ino Yamanaka, it's nice to meet you, Shika."

Then he slightly scowled and then he replied, "Don't call me that."

Ino but rebutted, "But your whole name is too long to say, so I'm just going to call you Shika."

"But that's not my name," Shikamaru argued.

Ino then replied, "Too bad, I've already decided that I would."

Then she gripped his hand and pulled him towards his back yard and now Shikamaru instantly regretted coming out of his room at all.

Hours later, Shikamaru had to endure the many various games that she wanted to play, including hide and seek, tag, and even ninja. And frankly, he was exhausted and he never felt the need to relax than now. Since Ino was occupied with some little flowers he took this opportunity to do some cloud-watching. He had laid himself down on the grass and had his hands behind his head, and proceeded to watch the clouds.

But then as he was getting comfortable, Ino asked in curiosity, "Why are you staring at the sky?"

Shikamaru answered plainly, "I'm not just watching the sky; I'm watching the clouds."

Ino asked, "Why?"

Shikamaru sighed and then decided to humor her, "I like to watch the clouds; they drift on by with the wind blowing them through the sky. I wish to be like one."

Ino watched the sky and then gave her opinion, "That's a silly wish…"

Shikamaru scowled as he suddenly sat up and was about to retaliate but then she added, "But I suppose that makes you a big dreamer and Daddy says that if someone dreams big, they are a good person even if that dream might be silly."

Shikamaru was stunned; did she just compliment him? Then he felt something fall lightly on his head and he realized that it was a flower crown that she was apparently weaving.

She had proclaimed, "You may have a silly wish, but I like you."

Then she did something else unexpected; she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then whispered, "Thanks for playing with me, even if you didn't want to."

Shikamaru's cheeks were bright red and he sat there and unconsciously touched his cheek where she kissed him. Soon she had to leave and they all said good-bye.

Ino smiled at him and then said, "I hope we'll be best friends for a long time, Shika."

Shikamaru mumbled ahlf-heartedly, "Don't call me that, Ino."

Ino giggled and then left with her Dad.

Shikamaru watched her leave and then sported a little grin on his face, _"Best friends, huh?"_

 **Please feel free to leave a review.**


	2. First Date

**Please forgive me for being late with this next one-shot, I had a lot of assignments to finish. Please enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **First Date**

Shikamaru was really nervous; he kept pacing outside of the Yamanaka flower shop. He made sure to dress formally so he dressed in a black dress shirt and slacks. He knew that he would be nervous but he didn't think that he would be this nervous. When he asked out his best friend and teammate he was worried that she would say no, but he was shocked that she actually said yes.

 _A few days previously…_

 _Shikamaru was standing outside of the Yamanaka flower shop and while on the outside he was stoic, on the inside, he was a bundle of nerves. He wanted to ask Ino out on a date but he can't seem to bring himself to do it. He had the free time since he was not working on the exams or anything major. But to actually go through with it was another thing; he can't because he knows how his best friend is and what her tastes are and she never given any indication that she could date someone like him._

 _So at the last minute, he was about to turn and walk away until he heard, "Shika, where are you going?"_

 _He turned back to find Ino standing at the doorway of the shop in her yellow apron that she would wear when she was working. And she had worn her regular clothes when she has her days off._

 _He cleared his throat and answered nervously, "I was going home but there was something I wanted to ask you."_

 _Ino looked at him curiously and replied, "Okay, what is it?"_

 _Shikamaru locked gazes with Ino and then suddenly his voice didn't seem to want to work. But then he managed to mumble, "Would you like to go… on a date with me this Saturday?"_

 _He averted his eyes and he felt his cheeks heat up as he turned red waiting nervously for her answer._

 _Ino then answered, "I'd love to, Shika…"_

 _Shikamaru then abruptly turned back to her and saw that she was smiling up at him and her eyes seemed brighter._

 _"Really?" Shikamaru had to ask to make sure it wasn't a dream or a cruel genjutsu._

 _Ino giggled and then replied, "Yes, I really would."_

 _Then all of a sudden he felt very giddy but mostly relieved that she said yes. So then he replied, "Okay then, is seven a good time to pick you up?"_

 _Ino answered, "That's perfect, I'll see you on Saturday, Shika."_

Present…

So now here he is on Saturday, a minute until seven, waiting for Ino to come out of the shop. Shikamaru had stopped pacing and he turned when he heard footsteps. When he turned fully to look at her he was speechless; she wore a dark purple dress that went to her knees and had on strappy sandals of the same color. Her hair was done into a messy bun with strands of her hair framing her face. She had on light purple eye shadow and a pink lip gloss that enhanced her already beautiful face.

He saw that she was smiling and then she greeted him, "Good evening, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru then let his nerves slowly went down and then he replied, "Yeah, good evening Ino."

They stood there in silence for a few seconds before he added, "You look… beautiful tonight."

Ino had a light blush on her cheeks as she replied, "Thank you, you look handsome, Shika."

Shikamaru blushed as he said, "Thanks, Ino."

Then he held out his arm for her to take and he smiled as he asked, "Do you want to get going?"

Ino smiled in return and looped her arm through his and answered, "Yes, let's go."

So they walked away from the flower shop and onto an important step in their lives, having their first date and to see if their relationship will grow into something more.

 **Hope you liked it. I'm sorry that it's short, I thought that the ending will let you imagine how it went. But I will probably edit it later to add more detail to the story. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Cross-Over

**Here is something different than I usually do. Here is an alternate universe where Shikamaru and Ino are students at a school like Hogwarts with their other friends. Hope you don't think it's weird at all, it's just a blend of my favorite book series with my favorite manga series.**

 **I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Nor do I own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.**

 **Cross-Over**

He and his friends were currently attending a school called, Konoha School of Magic and he and his friends were wizards and witches. When school started he believed that it would be so boring, since he already knew most of it anyway what with all the books that his mother and occasionally his father made him read. So he was just sitting at the table of his Charms class watching the other students trying to make a feather float. Ino who was sitting next to him was just about finishing making the feather float. He admitted that the blonde-haired girl was pretty and smart as well. But she can be such a nag that he wondered why they were friends in the first place.

He was just day-dreaming when he heard her scold him, "Shikamaru, you have to participate at least a little bit."

"I don't really care to practice; I know all of this stuff anyway."

Ino looked at him skeptically and then challenged him, "Oh, really? Alright, if you're so clever, just do the spell and see if it floats on your first try."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at her and then mumbled, "Fine…"

He held his wand and then was seemingly prepping himself. And then he incanted, " _Wingardium Leviosa._ "

But instead of making the feather float, he was pointing at the desk that there Charms Professor Iruka was standing in front of. The other students were astounded, including Ino who had her mouth hanging open. Iruka noticed the students staring and then looked behind him and nearly backed in shock.

Then he sternly asked, "Alright, who's making the desk float?"

Then he spotted Shikamaru, the only one with his wand pointing at the desk. Then he asked, "Shikamaru, would you please place my desk back down?"

Then he pointed his wand down so the desk floated down gently. And Iruka scolded him, "We're supposed to make feathers float, not desks, Shikamaru. But since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with a warning. And while I should be stricter on it, I'll admit that you had excellent control over lifting a heavy object like my desk. Well done, but next time do the assigned task."

Then he turned back towards the rest of the class and instructed to keep practicing. Shikamaru then turned to Ino who still had her mouth hanging open and then he smirked smugly at her.

Then Ino crossed her arms and pouted, "I meant that you had to make the feather float…"

Shikamaru replied playfully, "No, you said to make 'it' float so I made the desk float. Next time, be more specific."

Ino mumbled, "Show-off…"

Then Shikamaru chuckled and thought, _"This will be an interesting seven years…"_

 **Yes, I used the spell from the book, sorry. If some are Harry Potter fans, you may recognize this as a scene from the first movie. You can guess which one. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	4. Shikamaru's BirthdayFirst Kiss

**Here is the next prompt for ShikaIno week. Hope you like it.**

 **I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **Shikamaru's Birthday/First Kiss**

It had been a few months since they had their first date and he was feeling content with how they are and they are still dating. True, there are some arguments here and there but they usually make up by the end of the day. Also, they helped each other with the grieving of their Sensei, Asuma. Right now they are out on another date and even though they have gone out many times he hadn't tried to kiss her. The thing was that whenever he tried to, he would pull away at the last second and kiss her on the forehead or on her cheek.

Ino noticed this and was a little more than frustrated at him; he hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend yet. She was going to get an answer out of him whether he was ready or not.

So right now, they had gone out to cloud-watch because she had agreed to do whatever he wanted for his 16th birthday and now it was getting late and the sun was setting. They were at his favorite cloud-watching spot, on top of a hill that had a wide view of the sky and they sat underneath a tree. Shikamaru was watching the clouds while Ino was lost in thought.

She cleared her throat, and then asked, "Why haven't you kissed me yet?"

Shikamaru was truly startled by the question that he abruptly sat upright and looked over at her incredulously.

He averted his eyes and then asked in return nervously, "Why are you asking that?"

Ino sighed in frustration and retorted, "We have been dating for a while and not once have you tried to kiss me."

Ino averted her gaze away from him and mumbled quietly, "You haven't even officially asked me to be your girlfriend, yet…"

Ino felt that she was on the verge of tears; she didn't shed them but that is what it looked like to him.

He tried to alleviate the situation, "Ino, it's not that I don't want to kiss you… I just…"

"Just what?!" Ino exploded. "Am I not important enough to you? Do you not care about me?"

Shikamaru was startled but then he replied, "Ino, what you just said is not true."

Ino cried, "Then how am I supposed to know? How do I know that you care about me? I may know how your personality is but that doesn't mean that I know everything that you are thinking! I don't want to continue to be left in the dark about how you feel and whether or not you care for me! Shikamaru, please show me! Please prove to me that you care! That you want me to be-"

Shikamaru pulled her close to him and then interrupted her by planting a kiss on her lips. She was stunned momentarily as her eyes had reopened but then she calmed down and gave into the kiss. She placed her hands on his black top and pulled him in closer; she felt like she was walking on air. Shikamaru pulled away from her lips after several seconds and both were dazed. Shikamaru noticed the tears that had escaped her eyes so he wiped them away with his thumbs.

He then placed his forehead to touch hers and then he whispered, "I care about you more than anyone else; I had thought that you already knew that. I'm sorry."

He kissed her forehead and then asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Ino gave a bright smile and then answered, "Of course, I will, Shika."

Shikamaru gave a smile in return and hugged her close to him. Then Ino surprised him by pulling him in for another kiss; a much more passionate one this time. She pulled away and then she whispered, "Happy birthday, Shika…"

"Best birthday present ever…" Shikamaru proclaimed with a smirk.

 **Please feel free to leave a review.**


	5. Ino's BirthdayFirst Time

**Here is the next prompt for ShikaIno week, this is another combination of both like the last one. Hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **Ino's Birthday/First Time**

They have been a couple for about a year now and they are preparing a war in the following weeks. Shikamaru had planned the whole day for her; he dropped by Ino's house to greet her with a small red rose that he had found himself and wished her a happy birthday in the morning. Then, he had gone and made reservations for their dinner date later. And he made sure that he had his gift for her.

Later…

He was wearing his usual black sweatshirt and black pants while he stood outside of the restaurant and waited for his girlfriend. He had told her to meet him at Yakiniku Q to have their dinner date. Then he heard footsteps and then smiled at her as she came sprinting to him.

She was wearing a simply designed purple dress with purple sandals and her hair was loose in curls. She stopped in front of him and was stopping to catch her breath, she looked up at him and then said, "You're actually early, how surprising."

He smirked, "I can be early if I want to be, Ino."

Then he did an exaggerated bow and then directed her inside, causing her to laugh. So then they went inside the newly re-opened Yakiniku Q.

Then they sat beside each other and then ordered their choices of meat and then they were talking.

"This is nice, just the two of us and neither of us having to worry about our wallets paying for his share…" Ino commented playfully.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Yeah, he's my best friend, but it does strain my wallet when we all eat together."

They both laughed quietly but then suddenly Ino became somber and then whispered, "Yeah, after…"

Shikamaru looked over at her and realized what she was thinking and then completed her sentence, "After Asuma died…"

Ino then nodded and then became teary-eyed which she hastily wiped her eyes. Then she felt her hand being grabbed and then looked over at Shikamaru.

He offered a small smile and then said, "You shouldn't be sad on your birthday, Ino. Besides, a smile suits you better."

Ino smiled and then laughed, "You're so corny, Shika…"

Shikamaru chuckled, "At least I got you to smile."

Soon, their order arrived and they had a good time for her birthday and Ino in particular was happy because she was able to spend time with her boyfriend. Later, they had left the restaurant and then proceeded to walk in the village until they stopped at a bench to sit down. Then Shikamaru thought it was a good time to give Ino her present.

He pulled out the small present wrapped in purple wrapping paper out of his pocket and then proclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Ino."

Ino smiled and then took the present and then slowly unwrapped the present which was a purple velvet box. She opened it and gasped in surprise; in the box was a silver necklace with a blue rose pendant, the blue rose made of sapphire.

"Shika, it's beautiful!" Ino exclaimed happily.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly saying, "Thank you, I love it!"

She carefully held the necklace and then without needing to ask him, he took the necklace and then he clipped it around her neck. Ino smiled brightly up at him and gave one in return and replied, "You're welcome, Ino."

Then he suddenly became nervous and averted his eyes and cleared his throat and then he said, "Ino, I need to tell you…something."

Ino gazed at him curiously, "What is it?"

Shikamaru took a deep breath, placed a hand on her cheek and then confessed, "Ino, I love you."

Ino looked speechless and then Shikamaru added, "We will be at war soon, and I felt that if something were to happen to us, I wanted you to know how I felt."

He was waiting for her to say something, anything, but he was getting worried when she suddenly started to cry.

Before he could say anything, she pulled him into a sudden kiss, giving it as much passion as she could muster. Until she finally released him, leaving him dazed and confused.

Then he heard her say quietly, "I love you too, Shika…"

Now he was speechless but then broke out into his rare smiles that he only shows Ino. Then there was not much more to say so they sat there in silence but happy.

Soon, he walked Ino back to her home and they both couldn't stop smiling as they held hands.

They were at her doorstep when he said, "Happy Birthday, Ino. Good night."

He gave her a peck on her lips and was going to walk and release her hand but then he suddenly felt his hand being gripped tightly and was tugged a little.

He was confused but then he saw that she was blushing as she asked, "Please stay with me for the night."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock as he could clearly understand what she was asking of him, but he asked, "Are you…sure?"

Ino nodded her head, came closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I want you, Shika…"

Shikamaru knew he couldn't deny her; he never could, he loved so much. Then he let Ino lead him into her house and into her room. Behind the closed door and they let their desires consume them, over and over that night.

 **I know I didn't go into explicit detail but I'm really uncomfortable writing something like that. But I hoped you liked it anyway. Please feel free to leave a review.**


	6. Meeting Past-Selves

**Here is the next prompt for ShikaIno week. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **Meeting Past-Selves**

How they suddenly ended up in the past, they had no idea, but they remembered that Naruto's test jutsu was only supposed to be a test so they had no way of getting back unless Naruto did a counter-measure. So here they are Shikamaru and Ino four years into the past just a bit after the failed invasion led by Orochimaru and Tsunade returning as far as they can tell.

"Shikamaru, if or when we get back to our time, I'm going to kill Naruto!" Ino whispered vehemently in an alley.

"Believe me if we do you have first dibs, this was only supposed to be a test; I never that it would actually work," Shikamaru replied.

They are in a vulnerable situation right now, they can't be seen by their friends like this; and what would their parents think? But most importantly, they can't be seen by their past-selves, their younger selves would think they have gone mad.

So Shikamaru proposed, "Okay, we know we can't be seen by our friends like this, especially our young selves. All we can really do is just use a Henge Jutsu until we can do something to get back."

Ino agreed and then they both used a Henge Jutsu to transform themselves into normal civilians they had seen on one of their missions. So they walked out of the alley and walked hand-in-hand; the civilians they disguised themselves as were a couple just like they were. So far, they kept up the ruse quite well, though they had to stop themselves from running to greet Asuma after seeing him with Kurenai on their "outing."

Ino nearly cried but kept her composure and gently led Shikamaru away from their Sensei. Wildly, Shikamaru had several possibilities running through his head about the benefits of this time-travel jutsu, that they could save a lot of lives, including Asuma and their fathers.

But then Ino said to him, "Shikamaru, I know what you're thinking, but using this type of jutsu to save Asuma-sensei is not the best thing. What if we mess something up and he ends up dead anyway; I think that the only time to use something like that, is when it's a last resort."

She gazed at her boyfriend, who is currently in disguise and then added, "I miss them too, Shika, but you said so yourself, we shouldn't do anything to alter time."

She smiled sweetly at him, and continued, "Besides, I think that if it weren't for those hardships we've gone through, we wouldn't be this close and I might've not looked at the same as I do now; a strong, brilliant, and handsome shinobi who I love."

Shikamaru smiled at her and then pulled her in for a soft kiss, which to them, always gave them a pleasant feeling.

When they were smiling with towards each other, they suddenly heard a voice say, "Oh that is so sweet!"

They froze in place as they turned and saw, their twelve-year old selves standing with Chouji by their side; this is bad.

Then young Shikamaru grumbled, "Troublesome, you embarrassed them, Ino."

Ino then huffed, "Well excuse me for admiring their love that they obviously have for each other. I only wish Asuma-sensei could be like that with Kurenai-sensei."

The older Shikamaru and Ino looked upon the sight that they are seeing when they had a realization, they have met themselves before but they didn't realize back then.

Then young Ino asked them, "Excuse me, if I embarrassed you two at all."

Ino thought fast as she remembered exactly how this conversation went, "Oh, it's no problem at all. Sometimes we don't even realize that we would be around other people when we are affectionate with each other. Right, Shiro?"

Shikamaru, luckily remembered it just as well, he wrapped his arm around Older Ino and answered, "Yeah, Airisu."

Young Ino sighed enviously, "Oh, if only I could be like that with Sasuke-kun."

Both young and older Shikamaru cringed and Ino looked a little embarrassed

Then Shikamaru grumbled, "Troublesome girl…"

Then young Ino grabbed her Shikamaru's vest and screeched, "What did you call me, you lazy bum?!"

He mumbled, "Nothing, nothing. Sorry…"

Then the older couple used that moment to swiftly get away, where they had ended up in another alley.

Ino asked, "Was I that much of a brat?"

Shikamaru answered, "A little…"

Ino slapped his arm but then chuckled, "I guess we have met ourselves but we didn't think about it much."

"Yeah, that was unexpected…" Shikamaru replied.

Ino added, "Your younger self seemed grumpier, now that I think about it. Why is that?"

Shikamaru sighed, "I was grumpy because you kept fawning over Sasuke when I knew that I had a crush on you."

Ino asked, "You liked me that long?"

Shikamaru nodded and then he was abruptly embraced by Ino and heard her whisper, "That is so sweet, Shika. I wish I had known sooner."

He returned the hug and then pointed out, "We're together now right? I'd like to keep it that way."

He and Ino smiled at each other when suddenly they started glowing white and were startled.

"Shikamaru, what's happening?" Ino asked.

He answered, "Naruto must've found a way to get us back."

Then they dropped the henge and held each other's hand and then Ino commented, "Maybe, I don't have to kill Naruto after all."

Shikamaru then asked, "But you're still going to pummel him?"

Ino answered, "Of course."

Shikamaru then wrapped an arm around her and then exclaimed affectionately, "That's my girl."

 **Hope you liked it, I kind of cheated that they met their past selves under a henge but I tried to have it realistic oo they wouldn't mess with space-time. Please feel free to leave a review.**


	7. Post-War Happy Ending

**This is the last prompt for ShikaIno week. Thank you all for reading this as they came out. So please enjoy this last contribution for my most favorite pairing in Naruto.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

 **Post-War Happy Ending**

It was a few weeks after the war; they were at the new memorial stone where their fathers' names were carved into it. They stood there in a solemn silence, both knowing that there was no need for words. Ino was holding a bouquet of lilies and then knelt down to lay them down in front of the stone. Shikamaru stood beside her as she stood up and then slipped her hand into his as they looked at the larger memorial stone. Then they silently walked hand-in-hand through the village where there was still rebuilding to be done. Along the way, they had greeted their friends who by now were finally made aware of their relationship though they had previously believed Shikamaru was interested in Temari.

They were almost at Ino's home when he suddenly asked, "Are you free later this evening?"

Ino looked up at him curiously and then answered, "Yes, I don't have anything to do. Why?"

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and then replied, "Well, we haven't had a date since the war and I thought it would be a good thing to try to get our minds off of it."

Ino smiled at him and then said, "I'd love to. What should I wear?"

"You can wear something semi-formal…" He answered.

"Okay, then I'll meet you at seven later…" Ino replied and then stood on tiptoe to peck his lips and then ran the rest of the way home.

Shikamaru smiled and then went to prepare for their date.

At seven…

Shikamaru had worn a black formal shirt with dress slacks. He was waiting for Ino to come out of her house until she came out wearing a new dark blue, knee length, dress with black sandals; she has always been able to make him speechless, he's still wonders how this beautiful woman was his.

Shikamaru smiled and then held out his arm, like their first date and then Ino giggled as she latched her arm to his.

They went out to eat at a newer restaurant and had conversed with each other on what projects they were helping within the village in it's reconstruction. Soon, they were finished and just went out for a walk until they were in the center of the village.

Suddenly, he carried Ino bridal style and then ran up on top of the buildings and then jumped from roof to roof. Ino was startled by this sudden show of energy that she hastily held on for dear life.

It wasn't until Shikamaru reached his favorite and evidently her favorite place for cloud-watching and stargazing; the very top of the Hokage monument that overlooks the whole village. He set her down gently and before she could ask why he brought her up there for he held her hands in his and looked down at her.

He proclaimed, "Ino, I love you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want to be with you always. I know this might seem sudden but I've been thinking about it for a long time now. And I came to the conclusion that I want to spend every day with you and only you."

Then he slowly knelt down on one knee; Ino gasped softly as he looked up at her to ask an important question.

"Ino Yamanaka, will you marry me?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino placed a hand over her mouth and tears had leaked from her eyes and then she whispered, "Yes…"

At first, Shikamaru thought he didn't hear it right but then he felt Ino tug him up and then she abruptly grabbed his face and then pulled him down to kiss him passionately. Shikamaru smiled into the kiss and held her closer to him. Soon, they broke apart, panting from lack of breath and Ino wiped her happy tears away.

She answered again, "Yes, I will marry you, Shika."

Then she embraced him tightly and he returned it happily.

He thought, _"I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. It's because I had always known that; I'm in love with my childhood friend."_

They stood on top of the monument, happily embracing each other as they both look forward to their future together.

 **Hope you liked it and please feel free to leave a review.**


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